The number of zombie homes in the U.S. — vacant properties whose owners abandoned them before the end of the foreclosure proceedings — remained at roughly the same rate from the previous quarter and the first quarter of 2025, according to ATTOM’s first-quarter 2026 Vacant Property and Zombie Foreclosure Report.
ATTOM, a leading provider of property data, AI-powered analytics, and real estate intelligence solutions, stated that 1.33% of the residential properties in the United States, or nearly 1.4 million homes, were vacant at the beginning of the year. That was roughly the same rate as the 1.32% rate posted in the previous quarter and in the first quarter of 2025.
ATTOM’s report analyzes publicly recorded real estate data collected by ATTOM — including foreclosure status, equity, and owner-occupancy status — matched against monthly updated vacancy data.
Out of the nation’s nearly 104.8 million residential properties, 230,401 were in the process of foreclosure at the time of the report, ATTOM stated. Of those, 7,540 properties, or 3.27%, were “zombies,” meaning their owners had abandoned them before the end of the foreclosure proceedings. That zombie rate was essentially the same as the prior quarter but down slightly from 3.34 percent at the same time last year.
Zombies Fell in 28 States, D.C.
“It will come as no surprise to anyone shopping for a home that vacancy rates remain low. That is one reason home prices have continued to rise despite ongoing affordability challenges,” ATTOM CEO Rob Barber said. “It is also encouraging for both neighborhoods and the broader market that even among properties in foreclosure, vacancy rates remain relatively low.”
ATTOM noted that in 28 states and the District of Columbia, the number of zombie properties fell quarter-over-quarter.
Among states with at least 50 zombie properties, the largest quarter-over-quarter increases were in Maryland (up 45.6% to 115 zombies), South Carolina (up 34% to 130 zombies), Oklahoma (up 26.3% to 72 zombies), California (up 15.1% to 313 zombies), and Nevada (up 11.9% to 66 zombies).
The largest quarter-over-quarter drops were in Georgia (down 31.1% to 51 zombies). North Carolina (down 25.6% to 61 zombies), Kansas (down 23.5% to 62 zombies), Texas (down 13.7% to 177 zombies), and Iowa (down 13.1% to 93 zombies).
ATTOM noted that the states with the highest overall home vacancy rates were Oklahoma (2.4%), Kansas (2.4%), Alabama (2.2%), Missouri (2.1%), and West Virginia (2.1%).
Highest Metro Zombie Rate Was in Cleveland
The lowest vacancy rates were in New Hampshire (0.3%), Vermont (0.4%), New Jersey (0.5%), Connecticut (0.5%), and Idaho (0.6%), ATTOM reported.
The report noted that metros in the Midwest have the highest incidence of zombies.
Of the 27 metropolitan statistical areas with sufficient data to analyze, meaning they had at least 100,000 total residential properties and 50 or more properties in the foreclosure process that are vacant, the highest zombie rates were in Cleveland, Ohio (9.9%); Baltimore, Maryland (9.3%); St. Louis, Missouri (8.6%); Akron, Ohio (7.4%); and Indianapolis, Indiana (6.5%).
The metro areas with the lowest zombie foreclosure rate were New York City (1.6%), Philadelphia (1.7%), Los Angeles (2.2%), Orlando, Florida (2.2%), and Lakeland, Florida (2.4%).
ATTOM noted that properties held by institutional investors, rather than individual owners, were more likely to be vacant. Of the roughly 25.2 million institutional investor-owned homes, roughly 3.5% were vacant.
The states with the highest vacancy rates for investor-owned properties were Indiana (7.2%), Illinois (6.2%), Alabama (6%), Kansas (6%), and Oklahoma (5.9%).
The lowest vacancy rates for investor-owned properties were in New Hampshire (0.8%), Vermont (1%), Idaho (1.3%), North Dakota (1.5%), and Maine (1.5%).
ATTOM stated that out of 2,237 ZIP codes with at least 1,000 properties and 25 in pre-foreclosure, the highest zombie rates were in 21217 in Baltimore, Maryland (44%); 44108 in Cleveland, Ohio (41.1%); 33708 in Saint Petersburg, Florida (39.3%); 34652 in New Port Richey, Florida (35.5%); and 92262 in Palm Springs, California (32.5%).
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